Building Together
by EggIsWriting
Summary: Cy and his sister, Tess, get transported into Minecraft via a strange pillar Tess found in their server. Now separated, the two will need to find one another in order to get home. Will it be that simple? Or, were they summoned to this world for a reason? (Mob talker stuff, will contain strong language and graphic content.)
1. Open Your Eyes

**Hey guys, here's the first chapter of the story. This isn't my first time writing, but just a heads up my punctuation (if not just my grammar entirely) may be kinda shit. Also just a bit of a warning, there will be strong language and some graphic content.**

* * *

 **Chapter One**

 **"Open Your Eyes..."**

* * *

 ** _"Cy… where are you?" I hear a voice call to me in the distance. I look around, but my vision is swallowed by a black void. I try to breath, yet it's as if there is no air around me. I begin to fall into the infinite space beneath me as I hear the voice once more, "Open your eyes Cy… Open your ey…"_**

My eyes shoot open and begin to focus on a familiar ceiling. I sit up in my bed and look towards the light leaking through the blinds on the far side of my room. It's looks to be early in the morning as the light is coming from a streetlamp on the corner rather than the sun; my alarm clock confirms this as the red LEDs flash ' **4:43** **AM** '. I swivel my body to left and curse under my breath as my feet touch the cold wooden flooring of my bedroom.

"What the fuck is that dream?" I thought to myself, as it was not the first time I've had that particular one.

I clear my thoughts and get out of bed, flicking the switch to my desk lamp on as I stand up. I rummage through my dresser drawers and find some more casual clothes. After switching out my pajama bottoms for some black jeans, I find and put on a plain white t-shirt. I then walk over to my mirror and give myself a quick glance over; Medium-ish length dark brown hair, green eyes, on the skinnier side in terms of build, and about 5'11.

"Hey, not too bad Cy," I say to myself jokingly, "Outfit probably won't hold up to well in this weather though."

I push one of the blinds down with my finger and notice about four feet of snow dropped last night, so I grab a light blue hoodie just in case.

"Shit, guess I'm staying inside today…" I say a bit disappointed.

Stumbling drowsily into the hall, I walk toward the stairs and head down into the kitchen. I grab a glass from the cupboard and fill it with some ice and water. Just then, the hairs on the back of my neck stand up as I feel a presence behind me.

"What are you doing up this early," says a voice with just the right tone to slightly piss me off, "Shouldn't you be asleep, Cy?"

I shoot back, "I should be asking you the same, besides it's winter break and even if it wasn't I fuckin' graduated last year." I turn around to face my younger sister, "So, why are you up Tess?"

She looks a bit off guard but replies, "Well... you woke me up! Also, you know mom doesn't like you swearing…"

I shrug "Well, mom isn't up yet."

Tess wanders over to the couch across the room and plops down on it while grumbling to herself.

"Alright, I'm going to be heading back to my room, you do you I guess." As I head up the stairs, I hear her behind me,

"Wait… can you make me some eggs?" I sigh and turn, "Really, breakfast before the sun has even come up? If you want them that badly you can make them your damn self!" She whines as I take another step up, "You are the only one that can make them the way I like though! Come on pleeeeease?" I give in to her demand, "Fine if I show you how to make them, you leave me alone, deal?" She smiles back, "Deal!"

After a somewhat nice family bonding moment, I am sitting in silence at the kitchen table staring at the cheese omelet I've made for myself. Tess suddenly pipes up from her side of the table,

"So, do you want to do anything while we're stuck in the house?" I look up, "Not particularly, why? Did you have something in mind?" She looks down at the floor shyly, "Well you haven't played Minecraft with me in awhile…" I am audibly annoyed, "This again, Jesus I honestly can't understand your obsession with that dumb game!" She starts getting defensive, "Well… I just thought we used to play it a lot when we were younger a-" I cut in, "Yeah when I was like twelve and you were eleven…" "AND, I thought maybe if we play it again we can have fun together instead of arguing all the time! But if you want to be an asshole about it I guess not…" She shoots up from her seat, as I seem to have upset her quite a bit. "Hey I'm sorry, I-" I try to apologize, but she continues up the stairs, ignoring me. "Shit, don't be like that Tess…" but my words aren't heard by anyone as she's already gone…

I knock on Tess's door hoping for an answer.

"Hey Tess I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be an asshole, can you come out?" After a minute the door squeaks open slightly,

Tess is peaking around the corner and it's obvious she was crying. Seeing her tear-stained face made my heart sink even more than it had, I hate making her cry.

"I really am sorry about that back there, I'll play the game if it'll make it up to y-" I'm cut off by Tess throwing her arms around me, "Well if it means that much to you, just let me finish my breakfast…"

It's now about noon, and we've gotten pretty far into the game. We've so far built a pretty decent house, as well as an alright strip mine in a ravine we spawned near. I've actually enjoyed myself rather thoroughly, setting me up for many 'I told you so's' and 'I knew would's' from Tess. Overall, it's been a pretty wholesome experience and I'm glad Tess changed my mind. As I'm getting lost in my thoughts Tess butts in,

"Hey bro, have you seen this thing yet?" I snap out of it, "Hm? No, I haven't seen whatever 'thing' you are referring to." She continues, "Well, come down to the strip mine and take your first right, and then go right again." "Alright, I'm coming," I sigh, "It better be good."

As I turn the corner, I immediately notice something's up.

"The hell is that thing?!" I say referring to the pillar of purple light coming out of the center of the room. Tess sporadically moves her character around the thing, studying it from every angle, "I don't know, but it looks cool!" I speak up, "Well it's kinda creeping me out, can you take a step back?"

Just as I say that, a purple tendril shoots out at her, and I hear a shriek from our voice chat as well as down the hall. As I stand up and run to check on her, I feel something wrap around my waist and pull me back toward my desk. I black out…

* * *

 **Oh, the dreaded cliff hanger, how I loathe it so! But seriously, if you enjoyed feel free to review as you see fit. If you have any feedback it is appreciated. I still consider negative feedback as feedback, so don't feel afraid to rip me a new one (but don't be too mean, you'll hurt my little feelings :'[ ). Also, the title is a bit of a work in progress so it might change it might not. That's all, so I'll see ya next chapter (whenever that'll be).**


	2. Where Are You

**Hey guys (and gals possibly idk)! I honestly don't know where the time went. I really wanted to get back to this story, but with all the festivities around the time it was published it sorta got pushed down. Next thing I knew, an entire year flew by. I find it appropriate to find something to spend time on, given the circumstances. My time away, up until now, was filled with a lot of good experiences, and I hope those that return had a good time as well (and are staying safe). Anyway, let's jumpstart this, shall we? (P.S. I'm changing the format a bit, so dialog and inner thoughts will break up text. A friend of mine commented on how it was hard to read :P)**

* * *

 **Chapter Two**

" **Where Are You?!"**

* * *

" _ **Cy… I can't find you… help me please! I can't feel my arm… so cold… I can't..." the voice sounds urgent. I use all the strength in my body to reach into the void. I can't place it, but the voice sounds familiar, even though I don't recall ever hearing it. As my hand inches closer to the voice, I feel a warmth in the air, but I falter and my arm falls back to my side. I try to call out to the voice, yet as I open my mouth the void flashes white and my lungs are hit with a burning sensation. "Getting closer, Cy…"**_

 **-BREAK-**

I awaken to the sound of waves crashing and the taste of salt overwhelming my mouth. I can only open my eyes for a split second, but it's long enough to see that I'm lying on what appears to be sand. Turning over, I begin to hack up water that had filled my lungs. I try to open my eyes again, but they feel like they're stapled shut. My entire body feels as if I decided to hug traffic.

"Ah, what the fu-uck!" is all I can stammer out. Thoughts begin to rush in my mind. " _God, where am I? This isn't part of the dream is it?"_

I quickly put all my focus into getting myself up. I blindly crawl away from the water hoping to find something I can prop up on. Eventually, I hit what feels like a tree, so I push myself up and sit with my back against it. When my eyes finally manage to open I see that I'm on a small beach. Behind me is a rather lush forested area with… square trees?

"Oh, you're fucking with me, right? C'mon now, let's wake up!"

I close my eyes and smack my face. Opening my eyes again I can see nothing has changed.

"Shit, shit, shit!" I shoot up clutching my chest "This can't be what I think it is...:"

I start walking my way through the forest. Most of my pain had suddenly been lost, probably from the adrenaline. It's hard to believe what I'm seeing, but everything feels real enough. The trees and foliage aren't as cubish as I initially thought, but the terrain definitely has a blocky look to it. I look to the sky, it appears to be about noon, but more importantly the sun is a cube and a lot bigger than what I remember. The more I look at everything, the more a thought pounds in the back of my skull. I'd hate to have that thought but,

" _Until I can find out more,_ _**I think I'm in Minecraft.**_ _It's the only thing I'm reminded of looking at all this. I mean sure it looks a lot more real, I guess. I just really, REALLY hope I'm wrong."_

As I begin to almost drift off in thought, something catches my attention. A small shack sitting in a clearing just down the hill I'm standing on. I scale my way down towards it, finding a bit of difficulty to navigate this terrain which is unlike any hill I've ever seen in my life. I finally make it over to the shack, placing my hand beside the door to catch my breath. It opens up with a creak, and I make my way inside the cramped little hovel. Everything inside is surprisingly "normal shaped" and honestly pretty cozy looking. I sit down on a bed and notice a book sitting upon the end table, I picked it up and examine it. Looking it over it appears to be an untitled leather-bound book. On the front there is a folded piece of paper, stuck on with a green, wet, but oddly tacky substance. I take it off, unfold it, and begin to read:

 **"Hello, Cyrus! Do not fear the unknown world that surrounds you… For in this guide your questions will be answered. Almost everything you need to know will be stored within it's pages. In this shack, you will also find a map to the nearest settlement, a backpack, and some nonperishable food in the pack. Do not be fooled by the backpack's size, as it will hold much more than it appears, but be cautious as its capacity isn't infinite! This shack should keep you protected through the night, and the clearing will allow monsters to burn in the light of day. With all of this you should be safe. Good luck to you, boy.**

 **Your aid,**

 **Richten Holdoak"**

" _While it's creepy that whoever wrote this knows me, they seem to have good intentions"_ I pushed back the curtains on the beside window and looked out, " _Looks like the sun will set soon. I guess I was walking longer than I thought. I need to head out to that village and see if I can find this Richten, he seems like he knows what's up."_

Suddenly, my body remembered that I was in pain. I begin to slowly lay down on the bed and place the book back down. I pull the soft blankets over me and let myself slip away into sleep.

 **-BREAK-**

" _ **Cy! Help!" I find myself in a huge, snow covered forest. The voice comes from behind me, but I don't see anyone. "Where are you?!" I call out. "Cy, I can't feel anything…. Help." The voice seemed more feminine than usual, and it was getting faint. All of a sudden the ground disappears underneath me, and I am surrounded by the familiar void. My breath is taken away, my lungs burn, my body aches. I see a blinding light rush towards me. Then like that, I'm gone."**_

 **-BREAK-**

I jolt up in bed with a cold sweat running down my forehead. I look around and sure enough I'm where I left off, stuck in this shack in a world completely foreign to my own. I hang my legs over the side of the bed and stretch. The pain from yesterday had mostly subsided, so I feel alright in terms of that. I quickly look on the counter opposite of the bed for the map mentioned by Richten's note. Surely enough, the map marked a trail from the shack to a small village by the name of Clear, presumably named for the large lake next to it having clear water or something. From what I gathered it would be about a 3-4 hour walk with minimal stops, so I could manage it all today if I had to. I then began to look for the pack mentioned by the note, finding it under the bed.I looked through its contents and I found the food mentioned, but also another note, which read:

 **"I forgot to mention, this world IS hostile. So, you will need tools to defend yourself. I have also packed you a sword, pick, and 3 potions of instant healing. You shouldn't need them, but better safe than sorry.**

 **\- Richten"**

That last sentence made my heart sink. "Shouldn't" wasn't the best reassurance in the world, but I kept it together. I found the tools in the pack, an iron sword and pick, not bad for starting out. As I put everything in the pack, including the book and map, I found the potions. Gazing into the bright red mixture almost made me nauseous, thinking about how I might get cut open or something. I was never good with blood, but I also get in over my head, which has led to issues before. After I put the potions back in the pack, I stood up and walked to the door. Just as I put my hand out to open it something shot into my head.

"Where the hell is Tess?"

* * *

 **Well, there you go! I hope that was worth the wait. Again, sorry for the literal year and a half of nothing, but I'll try to be way more frequent (not like I can do much else right now, with the world burning and all). As always, review as you see fit and I'll see ya next chapter, and I PROMISE it won't be a year this time. (Also, I updated chapter one with a bit of spell check and fixed formatting, so please let me know if something fucky happened. THANKS!)**


	3. Anybody Home

**Here we are again, folks! I told you it wouldn't be a year this time! This chapter will be about Tess, if last chapter's end didn't make that clear. So, keep in mind that the point of view will be a bit jumpy as we get going. Other than that, I don't really have much to say, so let's begin.**

* * *

 **Chapter Three**

" **Anybody Home?"**

* * *

" **Shit!"**

The sudden realization hit me like a truck. I take my hand that was reaching for the knob, and instead pound it into the door.

" _I can't believe I could get so caught up in this that I forgot my own goddamn sister got dragged into this shit with me! God, I'm a fucking moron! Alright, think Cy… I didn't see her on the beach… She isn't alone is she? Nonononono, this can't be happening right now."_

I stop leaning into the door and sit down in a chair near the foot of the bed. I lean back and start to consider what the hell I've gotten into.

" _I can't handle much more of this. I already don't want to be here, and now I have to worry about my sister dying? Alright, alright, alright… I have to calm down and rationalize. She's an adult…. I mean barely, but she's eighteen she'll be fine. Plus, she knows the game more, she'll probably be... somewhat less terrified about this. Wow, good psyche up Cy, I feel so great right now. Jesus Christ, I just hope she's ok, wherever she is."_

 **POV SWITCH - TESS**

 **-14 Hours Earlier-**

" _Cold, cold, COLD!"_

I launch up from whatever I was sleeping on and open my eyes. As I open them, I'm blinded by a white glow, but I can tell from the crunch of snow that I'm sitting up in, well, snow.

"Well that explains the cold, I guess." I say out loud, to no one in particular.

I feel like I've been outside for a while, so the sweater I'm wearing doesn't help much. I stand up, shielding my eyes from the snow's harsh reflection of the sun, and try to slowly adjust my vision. I shake the snow out of my hair, and finally look to see my surroundings. I'm standing in the middle of a pine-filled forest, blanketed in snow.

"Cy," I start yelling out into the trees, "Is this some kind of joke?"

I look around for my older brother, but the snow around looks untouched.

"Cy, I swear if you don't come out right now, you're in for a quick knee to where it really hurts!"

Still, nothing but silence and the echo of my own voice.

"I don't like this, Cy, I'm cold and I want to go home…"

My voice falters towards the end of my sentence. I knew Cy really wasn't here if he didn't respond to that part, he never liked it when I would get scared. I then realized that I really am alone. I quickly reached into my pocket to grab my phone, which was still there _thank god._ Right before I hit the button for 911 on the lock screen, I realize something bad, my signal is dead. The icon in the corner doesn't even say "SOS ONLY" which means I can't make emergency calls.

" _So, I'm just stuck here until someone finds me, but who knows how long that could take. I'm tempted to just start walking in one direction, but I'd probably just end up more lost. I mean, I don't even know if I'm in the same county!"_

Just then, the wind decided to remind me about how incredibly cold it is. I start to realize that I'm shivering so much, that I'm practically vibrating. I quickly gather myself and look for anything that resembles shelter. The only thing I spot is what looks like a small opening to a cave a good distance behind me. I tuck my arms into my sleeves, and begin running over to it. Once I'm at the opening, I find that it's not really a cave entrance at all, more like a little hovel someone dug into the side of a hill. The door is wide open and a light is on, so I let myself in.

"Anybody home?" I say knocking on the open door, but the room is small enough to where I can guess the answer.

Looking around the tiny space, I can see a bed, a desk and chair, as well as some books, papers, and a mirror on the desk. The ceiling only sits at about 2 inches above me, being only 5'6" that would make it fairly cramped for someone like Cy.

" _This doesn't seem nearly as comfortable as hobbits make it look."_ I think, hoping to cheer myself up. " _I really don't know what's happening, but at least I can hold out here for a bit."_

I shut the door behind me, having a bit of trouble with latching it in place.

" _Owner must have forgotten about the latch when leaving, that's why it was open. I just hope they don't mind me being here."_

I walk over to the desk and look at my reflection in the mirror. Reddish brown hair, pale skin, green eyes, practically a clone of my mother. I try to read some of the papers, but I can't read the handwriting. I decide to organize the papers into a pile on the desk, but then I notice something is off about the house.

" _Why isn't there a fireplace anywhere? You think the cold would get to someone living here, especially with the stone floors and wall. In fact, who builds their house into a hillside anymore? The light was on, but does anybody even live here?"_

I open the door and peak outside to see if anybody was here recently. Searching the ground, I do see footsteps that aren't mine, meaning that someone was here recently, otherwise the wind would have covered them by now. I also take my time to look at the environment around the house. Everything seemed normal before, but now that I look closely it looks "wrong". The hills around the area have very sharp angles instead of slopes, and the trees, while still circular in some respect, have the same square look. I even notice that the sun is already getting lower in the sky, even though my phone says it's 12:44. I closed the door and walked towards the desk, thinking about what I saw. I just manage to sit down at the desk when something clicks in my brain. The image of the purple pillar and the tendrils flashed in my mind.

" _What? No, that can't be possible. How would I even be pulled through my monitor? It just doesn't make sense. But, the hills out there were definitely real… I have to be in a different world… is this Minecraft?"_

The thought kind of scared me, but at the same time part of me was excited. Minecraft had been my favorite game for forever, so the idea I might get to live out my dreams was nice. On the other hand, I worried about my family.

" _What about mom and dad? And Cy was with me when the pillar grabbed me, is he here too? Will I ever see home again?"_

All these thoughts made me feel the need lie down, so folded my arms and placed my head in them.

" _Maybe I'll be back home when I wake up…."_

 **-BREAK-**

I stir in my sleep as I hear a shuffling of paper next to me. I feel a bit warmer than when I fell asleep, like someone gave me a blanket. Slowly, I regain consciousness and yawn while rubbing my eyes. All of a sudden, a book closes behind me.

"Good you're awake! Now, uh, mind telling me why you're in my home?"

I fell out of the chair, panicked by the sudden voice. I look up to see a young man with orange hair, sitting on the bed and staring down at me.

* * *

 **Well, that's that! I hope I managed to make this chapter differ from the last, even though both characters had very similar experiences when you look at it. Also a third character! Hope you like him when we jump back to Tess in chapter 5! But before we leave, like I said in chapter 1, my grammar might be a little spotty. I try to proof everything, but computers can only do so much. With that out of the way, review as you see fit and I'll see ya next chapter!**


	4. An Outsider's Guide to First Impressions

**Hello once again, everybody! Quickly, I want to address how the chapters will work for the time being. Because Cyrus and Tess are separate, Tess's chapters will almost always be set during Cy's chapters, unless I say otherwise. I wanted to make sure that's clear, that way I don't have to write time cards every time we jump to Tess. Anyway, we're going back to where we left Cy last chapter, so let's get into it. I hope you enjoy it! (BTW this chapter is way longer than usual, so buckle in!)**

* * *

 **Chapter Four**

 **An Outsider's Guide to First Impressions**

* * *

 **POV SWITCH - CYRUS**

I lean forward and let out a deep breath. My day has barely even begun and already I have too much on my plate. Staring down at the floor, I started to rethink how hasty I've been.

" _Am I ready? What if I run into some trouble and I'm forced off the path? It's only about an 11 1/2 mile trip, but what would be a 13-minute drive turns into about a 3 1/2 hour walk. Maybe I should look over the guide a bit, just so I know what I might find along the way."_

I throw my pack down at my feet and pull out the book Richten left me. I flip open the cover and start reading:

 **The Unco's Unknowns:**

 **An Outsider's Guide to Minecraftia and the Kingdom of Stonvelden**

 **Written by: Richten Holdoak**

I chuckle a bit, " _Good title, but it's a bit ridiculous to give one like that to a guide meant for one person."_

The next page lists a table of contents:

 **Page 1: Message to Cyrus**

 **Pages 2-8: A Brief History of Stonvelden**

 **Pages 9-12: Geography of Stonvelden**

 **Pages 13-16: Craftians**

 **Pages 17-20: Mobs**

 **Pages 21-29: Moblikes**

 **Pages 30-40: The Three Realms**

 **Pages 41-45: The Followers of Ender and the Witness**

 **Pages 46-50: Ender Magic**

 **Pages 51-54: The Fold**

 **Pages 55-80: An In-Depth Guide on Crafting**

 **Pages 81-90: Armor and Weapon Forging**

 **Pages 91-94: Potions: Benefits and Dangers**

 **Pages 95-100: Enchantments**

I stare in awe at the page, " _How can there be that much I need to know?! I'm going to have to make time for reading this, but what would I need to look through now? I guess I should just see if that message on page 1 gives me anything important."_

" **Cyrus, if you are to understand Minecraftia further there is one VERY important thing you need to know. Your foreknowledge of this world is very "simplified" if that makes sense. What you know from your world's perception of ours is limited in many ways, as what you perceive as some game of sorts can be vastly unlike the true Minecraftia. Things like crafting and forging are not instant, they take time and complex knowledge of the subject, just like your world itself. As you may have noticed, the terrain is much more angular than what you are used to, much like in your "game" (with some exceptions), but it can't simply be taken apart "block by block". You must put effort into digging tunnels and harvesting trees. Another observation you might have made, the day is 4 hours shorter than your usual time. What I'm trying to get across by telling you all these differences is quite simple. This world is extremely different from your own, and even from what you view as a window into mine. Be safe and take caution if you don't understand the situation. Evaluate. While this guide will give you some needed information, you can only truly see the world through your judgment and observation. Please, take your time to explore once you get to Clear. Once you feel ready for a greater task, come find me in Stonvelden's capital, Valedrek. My workshop is near the town square, just ask around, someone will know where to find me."**

I took a moment to process the information. It was already pretty obvious that "Minecraftia" was much more like my world, rather than the game. That being said I was disappointed reading that even principle concepts I knew from the game weren't accurate. Knowing that I can only imagine how many other "inaccuracies" between the game and this place that there might be. The message was fairly clear though. I need to forget the "game logic" of Minecraft and apply a new lens if I wish to succeed. What worries me the most is what Richten could mean by "a greater task". It's becoming painfully clear that he was the reason, or at least involved in, why Tess and I were dragged here by that pillar, so what task could be so crucial that he basically abducted us for it? Also, how does he know about the game in the first place? These questions held me for a moment before I remembered I needed to read more. I decided that the section on mobs would probably help me the most right now.

 **-Minutes Pass-**

The section goes over what I sort of already knew about mobs. It listed the type of passive and hostile mobs: Wolves, Ocelots, Bats, Creepers, Skeletons, Zombies, etc…. There were even different strategies to use in combat, like using creepers to blow up other hostiles, though that one was listed as a last resort. It also explains basic things like how many hostile mobs are averse to light, some even burning in sunlight. But the thing I found the most interesting was the use of the term mob itself, as it's just a game term meaning "mobile object" or basically an NPC. I wonder how a term like that would become this world's word for creature, but I guess it doesn't matter as long as I understand what it means here. However, more interesting than that was the next section on "Moblikes". This is a term used to describe a Craftian/Mob Hybrid of sorts. From what I skimmed, they were created about a century and a half ago during a great war. The people who made them called themselves "The Followers of Ender", a cult based around worship of the Ender Dragon that was hellbent on taking control of Stonvelden in its name. Moblikes were used by the cult to infiltrate Stonvelden's cities, as they could pose as humans while using their mob abilities to sabotage the kingdom's army. Some Moblikes didn't agree with the Cult, and they decided to live in peace with the kingdom. This changed, however, when the monarch of the time called for a purge on Moblikes, regardless of affiliation. Though some Moblikes were taken in by smaller towns during these raids, most now roam the wilderness, making settlements and groups based around their respective mob species. As for their abilities, it depends on the Moblike's counterpart. Something interesting, if not slightly terrifying, is that Moblikes who have a mob counterpart that would normally burn in the sun don't burn, though they do become pained by it after 2 hours.

Taking all of this in was a bit difficult, but I think I understood the situation.

" _So, these guys are probably pretty pissed off at the Craftians. I guess that means I should be careful, considering Craftians are essentially just humans like me. It did mention that some of them wanted peace with Craftians though, so hopefully, that sentiment withstood the wear and tear of over 100 years. Honestly, even if he probably took me from my home with no warning, this Richten guy seems knowledgeable on a lot of stuff. I'm glad that I have somebody like him somewhat looking out for me. But, that's all I can read for now without wasting time, I better get going before noon."_

I let out a huge sigh, this is gonna be a lot of work for something that's mostly against my will. I put the book back into my pack and put it on as I stood up. As I walked to the door, another thought popped into my head.

" _Richten mentioned that this place works like back home, but his first note said my pack could fit more than seemingly possible. I thought he meant it was like the game's inventory function, but maybe Richten just enchanted to be like that? Let me see…"_

I took my right hand and put it behind me. While I did this I concentrated on wanting to take out my sword. Sure enough, a leathery grip found its way into my hand. I let go of the hilt, and it felt as if it disappeared. Once again I focused on wanting to grab an item, this time the map. I felt a paper roll in my hand and put my hand in front of me.

As I started reading the map I smiled a bit, " _Alright, maybe I can get used to that..."_

With that experimenting out of the way, I grabbed a lantern from hanging outside the door. The lantern had a glass bulb and seemed to be powered by that redstone stuff Tess would mess around with, so that gives me a light source that will last for a while. Putting the lantern in my pack, I set off on the trail.

 **-2 Hours Pass-**

The sun was high in the sky now as noon rolled in. It had gotten a lot warmer than it was yesterday, so I took off my hoodie and threw it in my pack. Something I noticed while walking is that I have my phone on me still, and it still works miraculously. Sadly, I don't have headphones, or I would be listening to music to make this walk go a bit faster. I had been walking for a while, having about half of the walk over with, so I decided I should take a break. I scanned the area for somewhere to sit and spotted a nice tree root. It was a bit low to the ground in terms of seating, but it worked fine for my purposes. I put my pack down in front of me and pulled out some of the wrapped food that was in there. It was only some jerky and an oatcake, but as I looked at my meal my brain reminded me I haven't eaten since yesterday's breakfast. There was also some lukewarm water to wash everything down. I ate like a wild dog. After tearing apart my food, I shook off the cloth that wrapped it and put it into the pack. I went to stand up, but something was off, I felt like I was being watched. Maybe less like I felt it, and more like my brain was screaming at me to move, so I obliged and ducked forward. Just then I felt something whiz past the back of my head, hearing a loud thud coming from the tree I was just sitting on. I turned around to see that an arrow had flown directly through where my head would have been, had I not listened to myself. I stumble to my feet and dart my eyes over the tree line. Almost like instinct I draw my sword and call out into the forest,

"Hey! I'm not looking to fight, but I will if I have to!"

Oddly enough, I maintain composure despite the panic I have on the inside like I'm being piloted by someone else.

" _This doesn't make sense, I should be running away right now! Why am I so calm?"_

My brain flares up again, and I sidestep to my right. Another arrow narrowly misses my stomach.

" _What's with the spider-sense, brain? Since when is this a thing?"_

Once more I feel it, and dodge again to the right. This time an arrow catches me in the upper left arm. The force takes me off my feet as I fall backward, dropping my sword as I hit the ground hard. I scream from the pain, definitely the most I've ever felt in my life. The arrow went through the top of my humerus, shattering the bone. Luckily, adrenaline started kicking in a bit, so my focus started to shift away from the pain. I hear footsteps coming towards me, the archer coming to finish me off, I assume. I quickly roll over onto my stomach and use my right arm to pick myself up. As I get up, I see my assailant, a woman wearing low cut shorts and a similarly cut jacket and shirt. I'd probably be a bit put off by her outfit normally, but I am a bit too filled with a mixture of rage, pain, and fear to really care. What I do care about, however, is the skeleton bandana she wears.

" _Huh, my first time meeting a Moblike and they try to kill me on sight, great."_

She looks surprised that I have managed to get back up, but even still she calmly raises her bow and knocks back an arrow. Suddenly, I remember one of the things the book mentioned about skeletons. I reach my right hand up behind my head and begin talking,

"Uh, listen. We seem to have gotten off on the wrong foot, so how about we slow it down an-"

"Shut up," she cuts me off, "you have no right to ask for forgiveness. You even dare to try, after what you're people have done to us?! You have done nothing b-"

I stop listening to her, " _Wow, that worked? I'm lucky that she's a monologuer, she seems to have distracted herself. Now, I just need to hope one of us has a good aim. Alright, think bottle, think bottle..."_

A small glass bottle fits itself into my hand.

" _Bingo."_

I quickly chuck the bottle out from behind me and towards the Moblike. She breaks out of her speech and shoots the bottle midair, just like I wanted. As the bottle shatters, a bright red liquid rains down upon her. She starts screaming in pain as her skin begins to sizzle. The bottle she shot was one of my instant healing potions, which can be used to harm the undead. I don't waste the opportunity, I scramble for my sword and book it into the trees. I hear her shout from behind me,

"You damn idiot, I won't let you get away with this!"

I just run without looking back, as fast as I can go.

 **-Minutes Pass-**

Eventually, I hit the entrance to a cave, not an ideal spot to hide in, but also not expected. I decided to take the risk and walk in. I reach behind my head for the redstone lantern I put in my pack. It pops into my hand, I turn it on and place it on the ground. Now with the cave illuminated, I could sit back and tend to my shoulder.

" _This isn't going to be fun. Hoo… boy, you can do this Cy."_

Realizing that I haven't even looked at my wound yet, I do so. The arrow went deep and it got stuck with the arrowhead barely sticking through my t-shirt sleeve. I got lightheaded looking at all of the blood, but I tried not to think about it. Though from the looks of it, I got pretty lucky, as weird as it sounds. Had the arrow struck any closer to my torso, it would have hit an artery. I sit down on a rock and begin prepping to take the arrow out. I take out one of the two remaining potions and the cloth that wrapped my food. I started to deliberate on how I would remove the arrow. I don't know how much the healing potion would patch up, so I only have one shot to not mess this up. I had once read an essay about the process of removing arrows from wounds while researching for a report on premodern field surgery for my history class. The problem with arrows is that pulling them out can lead to more damage than leaving them in if you aren't careful. Many arrowheads are made barbed, this causes pulling an arrow out by hand to rip a wound up to a gruesome extent. Most field surgeons were unequipped to avoid this issue, so they would instead break off the fletching and push the arrow out the long way. As much as I didn't want to do it, this would probably be the only way I could safely get the arrow out, so I slowly grab the shaft of the arrow and take a deep breath as I grit my teeth,

" _This is gonna suck so much… Ok, ok, ok, here we go, Cy… NOW!"_

I push down on the arrow, snapping off the end of the shaft. Immediately, an ungodly amount of pain shoots through my upper body. I try to keep myself together, but I can't handle the sheer amount of it and let out a cry of pure agony. Never before in my life had I felt a pain as great as getting shot by this arrow, but now taking it out gives me the same amount of suffering if not more.

" _Holy shit, that's so much more than I thought it would be. It's almost over though, just gotta hold out a bit more."_

Dropping the fletching, I put my palm on the broken end of the shaft, getting ready to plunge the rest of it through me. I take a pained breath and begin to apply pressure to my hand. The arrow starts to make its way further into my arm and out the perforation it put in my sleeve. I winced from the unnatural movement in my arm. Blood started gushing out of the area of the puncture, causing me to gag a bit. Once I succeeded in shoving the end all the way into the wound, I repositioned my hand onto the side of the exit. A few careful pulls and muffled curses later, it was out. Having the thing out of me was nice, but now that the wound was completely open a new discomfort reared its ugly head. Having never been meant to feel open air, my insides felt painfully cold, the closest thing I could compare it to is biting into ice cream. Wanting to stop this feeling sooner than later, I grabbed the potion and popped the cork. I put the rim of the flask up to my lips and tilted my head back. The taste that met my mouth was bitter and awful, like cough syrup x10, but I couldn't care less. I chugged the whole potion, coughing as I threw the bottle away. In an instant I could feel the shards of bone in my arm snapping back into place, as the rest of my muscle and tissue began to fill in the gaps. The process was unpleasant, but the potion also blocked out the pain that I should have been feeling. I rolled up my sleeve to see that some of the hole remained, but it was easily bandaged by the spare cloth.

" _Well that was an ordeal. I hope I won't need to do that more in the future, cause I probably already need a therapist after that. Either way, I should get back to that forced detour."_

I take out the map from my backpack.

" _Let's see… it seems that Richten marked things other than the route to Clear. It makes sense, as he did want me to stay in the area for a while. But, if I ran west I should be over by this cliff, meaning… AHA! There's an entrance to an old mine that spits me out super close to Clear. If this cave system connects with it I could most likely get there with daylight left to spare, if I'm quick about it. Mobs will be all over these caves though, I'm surprised I haven't seen any with all the screaming I did."_

I get up from the rock I sat on, exchanging my map for my sword. I check my surroundings while picking up the lamp.

" _Nothing so far…"_

I start walking deeper into the cave, pondering on what went down earlier as I go,

" _Still can't believe the first person I've actually met in this world shot me on sight. Heh, here I am having always thought I made good impressions. Guess that's out the window now."_

* * *

 **And that's it! Hopefully you guys like the longer chapter, as I plan to keep it up in terms of that. Of course, that means I won't be releasing new updates nearly as fast as I did with the last 2. With that fact on top of the current situation getting worse in my home state, things might get pretty sparse. But know that I will work on the story as much as possible, as I hope to provide both myself and you, my audience, with a break from everything happening in the world right now. Anyway as always, review as you see fit and I'll see ya next chapter! Stay safe out there folks.**


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